Worcester police probe slaying near Indian Lake

WORCESTER 
The quiet neighborhood off Indian Lake has caught the eye of police for some nuisance complaints, but was not known for the kind of violence that shook the area early today.

Police found a 27-year-old man early this morning lying dead in the parking area of the beach at the end of Clason Road, the apparent victim of a gunshot wound to the head. The case is being investigated as a homicide, police said.

The victim’s name was not released by police today, but a news release from District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera confirmed he was Ms. Rivera’s nephew, Nathan Otero.

“My family and I continue to struggle with the recent tragedy that has come upon us,” Ms. Rivera said in a statement yesterday afternoon sent via email by Moses Dixon on behalf of Ms. Rivera. “At this time there is an active police investigation and as a family we are grieving the loss we are now faced with.”

Police were called about 12:15 a.m. on a report of a gunshot heard in the area of 20 Clason Road. When they arrived they found a man lying on the ground outside at the end of the one-block long street. According to police scanner reports, the man suffered a gunshot wound to the head. An ambulance crew also responded, but the man was not immediately taken from the scene. Police cordoned off the area around the house, which sits on the east side of Indian Lake.

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said the area near the killing is not known for this type of violent activity.

“It’s a fairly quiet area for a lot of things,” the chief said. “It is unusual an incident of this magnitude happened in this neighborhood.”

Residents of the neighborhood have complained about people drinking in the area at night, Chief Gemme said. As a result of the slaying, a tactical response area has been designated for the neighborhood. Added cruiser patrols, foot patrols, detectives and traffic enforcement will all be beefed-up for about a week, he said.

Dave Schwartz lives on Clason Road. He watched the presidential debate on Tuesday night went to bed and slept through the night. Like many of his neighbors on the short dead-end street off West Boylston Street, he was unaware that a man had been shot at the end of his street.

Mr. Schwartz said police did a very good job of patrolling the area during the summer, but at times, there has been an increase in traffic.

“Cars pull in at 90 miles per hour,” Mr. Schwartz said. “And pull out ’cause it’s a dead-end road.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” said Jackie Doherty, another neighbor. She came out of her house this morning to move her vehicle because she thought the officers near cruisers in the street might be part of a work detail for the construction crew waiting to re-set curbing on the street. Instead she learned that there had been a shooting overnight. “I’m so sad; it’s just so sad,” she said.

Detectives left the area around 9:30 this morning, but cruisers were deployed to the nearby beach areas to keep the public away for several more hours.

Another of Mr. Otero’s aunts, Raquel Rivera, said the family is in shock. She said she could not comment on the active investigation, but she would share an insight into her relationship with her nephew. She saw him just last week.

“He would call me his favorite tipi,” Raquel Rivera said. She explained that tia means aunt in Spanish, and she is Tipi Raquel. She said her nephew had a girlfriend and a 4-year-old daughter.

“He absolutely loved and adored his little girl,” Raquel Rivera said. She said there is nothing he loved more than spending time with his daughter.

Mr. Otero was not currently working, she said, and he liked to hang out with his friends.

Mr. Rivera’s killing was the city’s ninth this year, the fifth by firearm.

According to Chief Gemme, the gun violence in the city has ebbed since the first six months of the year.

“It’s been very quiet since the uptick we had in the first half of the year,” Chief Gemme said. “We have been tracking a number of incidents involving shots fired.”

Scott J. Croteau of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.